Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Angela Hagenbach chats with Joe Klopus about her new album.

*KCJazzLark published a scathing editorial titled "Fairness Folly". His stern lecture makes Plastic Sax seem like a comparative pushover.

*James Hart notes the 29th anniversary of the murder of jazz musician Steve Harvey.

*Jason Harper begins a blindfold test on Pandora's Nolan Gasser with vintage Jay McShann.

*Kansas City is represented several times on The Telegraph's new list of the 100 Best Jazz Recordings.

*Sue Vicory has amassed quite a collection of recent and vintage photos of Kansas City jazz and blues musicians at the Facebook account for her forthcoming documentary.

*Steve Penn notes that Lonnie McFadden is in a film project.

*The Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival hits Sedalia, Missouri, June 2-6, 2010.

*I'm loving my Kansas City Jazz Twitter feed. For those who prefer a version that doesn't include Miles Bonny's incessant stream-of-consciousness postings, I recommend KC Jazz Lark's KC Jazz list.

(Original image of sign outside the Drum Room by Plastic Sax. Too bad their online calendar stops at October 31.)

Review: The New Vintage Big Band

I expected to see nothing but crusty old men when I stepped inside BB's Lawnside BBQ last Wednesday evening. While a few geezers were among The New Vintage Big Band's members, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the ensemble also includes plenty of young faces. At least one member, in fact, is still in high school.

By my count the ensemble included six trumpets, five saxophones, five trombones, one guitarist, one keyboard player, one bassist and a drummer. They were loud. Very loud. I smiled sympathetically when I spotted one member desperately fiddling with earplugs.

Their diverse repertoire ranged from Stan Kenton to Steely Dan. Boulevard beer and plates of burnt ends were on special. Needless to say, I loved the entire scene.

The New Vintage Big Band returns to BB's on December 2.






















(Original images by Plastic Sax.)

Now's the Time: Lionel Loueke

I defy viewers of this video of Lionel Loueke, Massimo Biolcati and Ferenc Nemeth to comment that they wouldn't like to be at The Blue Room on Thursday, November 12, to catch the trio in person. Although I"m not a fan of the percussive effect the celebrated musician makes with his mouth, the concert promises to be one of the most memorable events of 2009.

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Here's a bit of welcome news. According to an article in the Star, the Majestic is reopening under new ownership. Jazz, apparently, is still in the mix. "The Sebrees put a 1910 piano in the dining room for live jazz during happy hour. The basement jazz club will be open on Friday and Saturday nights."

*Kim Park has returned. "It is great to be back in Kansas City after spending two years in Nashville," Park writes. "There is a thriving jazz community here, and it is a pleasure to be back." He performs this Saturday afternoon at Jardine's.

*I learned of a major schedule change at the Blue Room through the KCJazzLark blog. The November 5 appearance by Pat Martino has been canceled. It's been replaced by an all-star bill of T.S. Monk, John Faddis and Bobby Watson.

*The Star's Tim Finn profiles The Hearts of Darkness.

*KCUR program KC Currents featured pianist Bram Wijnands.

*A song from Angela Hagenbach's new album is available for free download here.

*Here's the Star's review of Saturday's stunning Afinidad concert at The Folly Theater.

*Guitarist Will Matthews is recognized in Steve Penn's column.

*Mark Edelman's weekly jazz column runs here and here.

*From a CampKC guide to Kansas City nightlife: "My lover and I were urged to leave the Mutual Musicians Foundation for holding hands. Not fun. How we miss bar Natasha, where we could always pay the servers to camp it up and sing 'Defying Gravity' before closing."

*From Gary of AfterGroove: "This has been another good week for us receiving national airplay. For the 2nd week, we made to top 10 for "new adds" and "spincrease", according to Smoothjazz.com. We are also on www.citysoundsradio.com . We have a web radio interview scheduled in December with KCLIVE.com."

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

I Will Follow

It's as if you're not even trying.

Dear members of Kansas City's jazz community- I respectfully implore you to wake up!

As I watched the Yankees defeat the Phillies last night, I compiled a list of representatives of Kansas City's jazz community on Twitter. The immensely popular social media site rolled out the new "list" tool about ten days ago.

I came up with a pitifully small 30 accounts. Take a look at the Kansas City Jazz Twitter List.

Why should you care? Twitter's new list tool allows the viewer to cut through the noise to see only a particular subset of users. In this case, my list provides a snapshot of the activity that is- or isn't- happening in Kansas City's jazz community.

Twitter isn't anything new. I first mentioned Twitter at Plastic Sax in June of 2008. It's now safe to say that it's not a fad.

Here are two case studies that demonstrate why Twitter matters.

A major jazz concert took place in Kansas City on Saturday. Only about 200 people showed up. Four out of every five seats was empty. And guess what? Neither the venue nor any of the seven musicians featured that night employ Twitter.

Meanwhile, a couple hundred people payed a hefty cover charge at a nearby club for local band The Hearts of Darkness. (The band was featured at Plastic Sax four weeks ago.) Bandleader Les Izmore used his Twitter account (and Facebook) to encourage fans to buy tickets in advance. He posted regularly on the day of the show. His topics ranged from suggesting that fans take naps to complaining that the venue's pre-show music was inappropriate. Sure enough, the gig sold out. Izmore later thanked fans for their support.

While Twitter wasn't the only factor, there's no doubt that it played a role in the choices made by Kansas City's most passionate music fans on Saturday. Still unconvinced? I also created a Kansas City Hip Hop Twitter List as I watched the great CC Sabathia. It contains 105 accounts and scrolls so quickly it reads like a stock ticker.

Love it or loathe it, it's clear that Kansas City's hip hop community demonstrates significantly more energy and enthusiasm than the members of Kansas City's jazz scene.

Is Kansas City a jazz town? It looks more like a hip hop town this morning.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Killer Strayhorn Goes To Luckenbach Texas

Killer Strayhorn has discovered my weak spot. I'm a lifelong fan of the late Waylon Jennings. The Kansas City jazz act's interpretation of "Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)" is clever, but it can't compare to the master's version. Killer Strayhorn's debut album was reviewed at Plastic Sax last year. Here's hoping they record "Bob Wills Is Still the King" for their next project.

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*"Extraordinary... stunning...the real deal," The Guardian raves about the latest release by Plastic Sax lightning rod Krystle Warren. The new album by the former Kansas Citian is not yet available in North America.

*Tony's Kansas City provides a thorough review of Dave Stephens' lastest Jazz Circus performance at Jardine's.

*Diverse creates chaos at Amoeba Records.

*KCJazzLark describes the good time he had catching Megan Birdsall at the Drum Room last weekend.

*Jazz Times reports on the wacky new project by Pat Metheny. And at Metheny's site, five fascinating podcasts were recently posted.

*AfterGroove is making noise on SmoothJazz.com's radio charts and on internet station CitySoundsRadio. The band was also recently featured on KUDL's weekly smooth jazz show.

*Monster Miles Davis headphones have hit the market. A pair can be yours for several hundred dollars. To the best of my knowledge, the Charlie Parker estate hasn't made any similar licensing deals. I'd be interested in knowing if they haven't cashed in out of respect for the legacy of the jazz giant or if those opportunities simply haven't been presented to Parker's heirs.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)